Why the PS Vita is dead to me – Reader’s Feature

A reader and avowed portable gaming fan explains why he’s selling his PS Vita, and what part the Wii U had to play in his decision.

Since the Super Nintendo I have always had a home console together with a handheld dedicated portable gaming system. Throughout my gaming life, for reasons that are unclear to me, I have always yearned for a portable home console experience. Here is a list of portable consoles I’ve owned:

Sadly, the PS Vita is the only console I still have in my possession and to be honest, its position is looking a little sketchy.

Many gamers out there may agree with me that there is nothing like hiding away from the world, lights off, in a room, with a portable gaming device as your only company. I have had some extremely powerful gaming experiences like this, something that I have never experienced with home consoles.

My most memorable have been Metroid Fusion, Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Golden Sun, and Pokémon Blue. Strangely, my definition of portable gaming just refers to gaming whilst at home, just on a dedicated portable device. I’ve never been one for gaming on holiday or on the bus.

My most memorable PS Vita game has been Tearaway, but this didn’t even come close to the magic of the above mentioned games. I mean, I guess Gravity Rush was very enjoyable, but this just didn’t fill me with the same excitement and joy as previous handheld experiences… Oh, and Guacamelee was rather splendid although Cross-Buy.

Just as my disappointment with the PS Vita started to hit an all-time low, I experienced Remote Play with the PlayStation 4 and for a time, it kept me happy! Playing Resogun, inFamous: Second Son, and Killzone: Shadow Fall in bed or even on the throne was very enjoyable.

However, Remote Play soon became inferior to playing the same games how they were meant to be played, on my big TV with the impeccable DualShock 4. I found that instead of playing via Remote Play, I would just wait for the family TV to become free for a gaming session on the PlayStation 4.

So, My PS Vita has not been touched for a few months now, not even any PlayStation Plus titles have drawn me back. With my history of portable gaming, I just feel so disappointed with the PS Vita and even more so now to hear of Sony’s lack of support in the future. Yes, fair enough, Cross-Play games will be available, but then I can just play these on my PlayStation 4.

Then, the final nail in the PS Vita coffin… the Nintendo Wii U GamePad. What a device it is! I can play practically anywhere in the house, using an extremely comfortable gamepad. I’ve been enjoying Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, the great Mario Kart 8, and Pikmin 3. I don’t know what it is, but it just feels…right. It feels magical, I know that’s a strange thing to say, but it really does. The screen is great, the controls are perfect and the games have that same magic, arguably in the majority of Nintendo first party titles.

If I need some alone time, away from the Mrs and my daughter, I skulk upstairs with the GamePad and get lost in some truly perfect gaming. The important thing to note is the Wii U GamePad handles games via Remote Play so well that I don’t miss the TV experience of gaming. I would have been much happier if the PS Vita was to the PlayStation 4, what the Wii U GamePad is to the Wii U.